Retired great Hakuho says leaving sumo after bullying scandal
RETIRED sumo great Hakuho said Monday he was quitting the ancient sport in Japan after his wrestling stable was closed because of a bullying scandal involving his protege.
'It has been 25 years of being loved by sumo and loving sumo,' the Mongolian-born Hakuho told reporters, confirming he was 'leaving the Japan Sumo Association'.
'I have no regrets,' he said, adding that his family supported his decision.
Hakuho won a record 45 tournaments before retiring from competition in 2021 to coach wrestlers, but his stable was indefinitely shut in April last year.
The 40-year-old was handed an embarrassing demotion for failing to control the behaviour of his protege Hokuseiho, who allegedly punched his lower-ranked stablemates and stole money from them.
Sumo has been dogged by multiple scandals in the past including allegations of bullying, illegal betting and links to organised crime.
Hakuho, who returned to Tokyo from Mongolia for the press conference, said he had 'cried a lot'.
Having no clear indication of when the stable could resume operations was the main reason for his decision to walk away, he said.
Japanese media said last week that the sumo association, which declined to comment at the time, had accepted Hakuho's resignation.
Hakuho said Monday he was 'moving on to a new dream' and that in the future 'I intend to focus on projects to expand sumo to the world'.
'I believe that... sumo can bring hope to resolve the discrimination, prejudice and roughness in the world today,' he said.
An adviser to the company Hakuho is setting up to promote sumo said that the new project called 'World Sumo Grand Slam' targets amateur wrestlers.
Hakuho was born Munkhbat Davaajargal and was the son of a champion Mongolian wrestler who won his country's first Olympic medal at the 1968 Games.
Hakuho moved to Japan aged 15.
He was turned away by most stables because no one wanted someone 'as pale and skinny as me', according to his 2016 autobiography.
But he managed to persuade a trainer to take him on and made his sumo debut in 2001.
Hakuho won his first top-division title in 2006 and went on to fight at the sport's highest rank of yokozuna more times than anyone in history.
He took Japanese citizenship in 2019, a requirement to run his own stable.
Six of the last seven sumo grand champions, including Hakuho, were born in Mongolia.
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